Tatum leans Republican by roughly 22 points: about 39% of voters vote Democratic and 61% Republican.
About 56% of adults in Tatum typically vote, below the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in Tatum, ~22% vote Democratic, ~34% Republican, and ~44% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How Tatum compares
Among cities within 25 miles, Tatum leans more Republican than 38 of 58 neighbors.
Tatum runs about 4 points more Republican than South Carolina as a whole.
Politics vary noticeably by neighborhood within Tatum. The southwest side runs the most Democratic (D+34) and the northeast side runs the most Republican (R+31), a spread of about 65 points.
Why Tatum leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per city to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for Tatum, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Car-dependent areas vote Republican. About 86% of residents in Tatum drive to work alone, about 12 points above the U.S. average of 74%. Low college attainment predicts Republican voting, and Tatum sits in the bottom quarter (about 12%, below 89% of cities).
Preventive-care access and voter turnout
Places with limited routine preventive-care access tend to turn out at a lower rate; Tatum, SC sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. Dental visits do not drive turnout; the rate reflects income, insurance, and healthcare access, which line up with who votes.
Why turnout in Tatum looks the way it does
Areas with limited routine healthcare access turn out at lower rates. Tatum is in the bottom quarter nationally for routine-care measures such as insurance coverage, preventive screenings, and dental visits. The dental-visit rate here is about 47%, about 11 points below the South Carolina average of 58%. High food insecurity lines up with lower turnout, and about 37% of adults in Tatum report food insecurity, above 98% of cities. Low high-school completion lines up with lower turnout, and about 76% of adults in Tatum have completed high school, below 95% of cities. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Cities
- McColl, SC R+28
- Clio, SC D+29
- Bennettsville, SC D+25
- Hasty, NC R+24
- Lester, SC R+4
- McArthur Crossroads, NC R+23
- Gibson, NC R+12
- Marlboro, SC R+15
- Johns, NC R+20
Cities with Similar Populations
- Ray, MN R+34
- Acworth, NH R+27
- Sulphur Lick, OH R+58
- Center Hill, PA R+58
- Humarock, MA Even
- Toledo, AR R+55
- Eris, OH R+61
- Lenoxville, PA R+39
- Oceanside, OR D+16
- Grantsburg, IL R+47
All Local Stats
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Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from South Carolina State Election Commission, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.